H.S. FOOTBALL: Milton excited about new coach, new game plan

Thursday

First-year Wildcats boss Steve Dembowski arrives with a reputation for installing up-tempo offenses. The Wildcats have embraced the concept.

MILTON – The idea was never to leave coaching entirely. All Steve Dembowski wanted was a chance to lighten his workload.

Instead, he’s trying to light a fire under Milton High School’s football program – especially its offense.

“It wasn’t in my plan to go from head coach to another head coaching job,” Dembowski said. “I was thinking more of taking a coordinator position somewhere. I just wanted to coach three months a year, and take some time for my family.”

Dembowski’s wife and two daughters, both in elementary school, will get more time with their dad, even during football season. A Milton resident for the last 11 years, Dembowski will be home much earlier after practice than when he had to travel back from Swampscott, where he coached for 21 years – the last 16 as head coach.

Milton’s football program, meanwhile, gets a coach determined to punch up the Wildcats’ offense, which is music to the ears of players on both sides of the ball.

“Last year, we didn’t move the ball enough,” said Scott Cummings, a senior wide receiver, of a 5-6 season (2-3 in the Bay State Conference Herget) in which the Wildcats were held to seven points or fewer five times (all losses) in their first seven games – enough to keep them out of the Div. 3 Southwest playoffs. “We were more conservative, safer, focused on the running game.

“With our new offense we take more risks – but more risk, more reward, right?”

“This is extremely exciting,” said defensive end Devon Nzepuome, a senior captain. “Better offense would help a lot. The defense kept us in games a lot last year, so having more offense should be good for us.”

Dembowski believes his spread/shotgun offense will work because the Wildcats have “a good crew of senior skills kids,” and an experienced senior quarterback in Mike Fallon who can think on his feet, and get the ball to a deep group of fleet-footed receivers.

“There’s no doubt that Mike Fallon will set several, if not all, single-season passing records here,” said Dembowksi. “That’s what happens when you change to an offense that throws the ball 30-plus times per game.

“We’ve talked about handling that, about handling the freedom of throwing the ball that many times, and the decisions he’ll have to make for us to be successful. He’s very bright, and he studies. He has a good skill set, and he has great weapons.”

Fallon, who averaged about 10 pass attempts per game last season, also has a team-first mind-set.

“I don’t know about individual statistics,” he said. “I just hope numbers show up in the win column.”

That said, Fallon can’t help but be intrigued by having so many options.

“It’s very quarterback-friendly,” he said of the new system. “And we have a bunch of skilled guys, so all I have to do is throw them the ball, and they’re going to make plays. That’s how it’s going to be.”

It won’t be so simple for everyone, of course. Jack Clifford, a senior offensive tackle and captain, has been run-blocking almost exclusively for the last two years. He’ll now pass-block much more, and try to pass on his expanding knowledge of the offense to a group of junior and sophomore linemen who have little varsity experience.

But he can’t wait to see how this all works in games.

“We have so much speed on the outside,” Clifford said. “There’ll be lots of crossing routes, things like that. We’re going to open teams up, and expose all their weaknesses.”

Milton’s famously stout defense, which allowed only 14 points per game last year, won’t be left out of the party. New wrinkles will encourage a host of new players “to have a lot of fun on defense,” said Nzepuome, one of only four returnees on defense. “It seems like we’re going to fly around a lot, be more aggressive.”

“We’ll be blitzing more, playing kind of a high-risk, high-reward kind of defense,” said senior captain Akeem Smith, a linebacker.

Increased tempo will require increased participation, which means more players will get a chance to contribute.

“We’ll be a more diverse team,” Dembowski said.

“I think they’re excited. I think they realize they have the potential to be a potent team.”

Mike Loftus may be reached at mloftus@ledger.com or follow on Twitter @MLoftus_Ledger.

MILTON FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Friday, Sept. 11 -- vs. Needham, 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 18 -- at Quincy, 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 25 -- vs. Walpole, 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 2 -- at Natick, 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 9 -- at Norwood, 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 16 -- vs. Dedham, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 24 -- at Wellesley, TBA

Oct. 30-31 -- TBA

Nov. 6-7 -- TBA

Nov. 13-14 -- TBA

Thursday, Nov. 26 -- vs. Braintree, 10 a.m.

MIAA statewide playoffs scheduled for October/November. Teams that lose in playoffs or do not qualify will have their remaining schedules set by committee. Milton will compete in Div. 3 Southwest. State semifinals will be held Nov. 20-21. State championships are scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5.

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